Category Archives: News

I am writing to request your support for our 14th annual Cesar Chavez Breakfast that will take place on Friday, March 30, 2018, from 8 A. M. to 10 A. M. (with registration between 7 and 8 AM) at the Conference Center at the Fairplex, California Ballroom (601 W McKinley Ave., Gate 3) in Pomona. As a result of your support, the Latino and Latina Roundtable now has an office and a director for the first time in its history. Although we have no other staff, we continue to sustain the work of our immigrant rights, community development, and education work through the commitment of dozens of volunteers and the resources that are raised from this yearly fundraiser. In keeping with our grass-roots organizing character, we continue to keep the cost at a minimum to ensure that the tradition is in keeping with the celebration of the life of Cesar Chavez and the many leaders, from all backgrounds, who have historically given of their lives to ensure a future with justice and equity. In keeping with the tradition of honoring leaders in our region who have exemplified the principles and values of Cesar Chavez, the Roundtable this year is honoring: Maria Alonso (Director of the community-based garden Huerta del Valle), Luis Nolasco (Community Engagement and policy Advocate with ACLU), the Pomona Dining Hall Workers (whose historic efforts turned around union-busting and the firing of 17 undocumented workers to vote in UNITE-HERE culminating in a union contract), Maura Ayala (Community Star Award for her consistent organizing efforts in the community), Melanie Andreo, Pomona Unified Garey High School Senior (College Readiness Scholarship for her community engagement efforts and advocacy work on advancing a college pipeline). In addition, Social Justice Scholarships will be presented to students from the region who exemplify the values of connecting their studies to community engagement and social change. Attached is the RSVP application that you can mail in. Please Mail RSVP & payment to: Latino and Latina Roundtable 1460 E Holt Ave, Mailbox 144 Pomona, CA 91767 by March 20. For questions, call at: (909) 480-6267 or e-mail at breakfast@latinolatinaroundtable.org

You are invited to a showing of the movie “Dolores” at Benson Auditorium, Pitzer College (1050 N. Mills Ave.) in Claremont at 3 PM on Wednesday, February 28. It is open to the Public and Free of Charge. Organized by Rural and Urban Social Movements class.

Here is the link to the article that appeared today on the Latino and Latina Roundtable and NAACP Pomona Valley Branch Celebration, opening of joint office, and our common work.

I would like to ask you, if you have not already, to become a member of the Latino and Latina Roundtable. Atttached is the membership application that you can send in.

The membership dues for one year are $25.00 for individuals and $10.00 for students, retirees, and low income individuals. Your dues help to sustain our organizing and advocacy efforts. As you know, our organization has always been a volunteer organization that is primarily sustained through membership dues and a yearly fundraiser. Only until recently, have we rented an office and hired an executive director which bring forward new fundraising challenges. All the work of our organizational, community development, and immigrant rights committees are carried out by community-based organizers who have emerged out of the civil rights and human rights movements. We are continually motivated through our practice of an “abundance mentality” where we continue to see the outcomes of our efforts in training and developing new leaders in our communities. In supporting our organization through your membership, you are helping to sustain the inspiration and efforts of our members in organizing an annual Cesar Chavez breakfast and Pilgrimage march; in advancing our collaboration with area schools and colleges, as part of the College4All Coalition in implementing a school-to-college pipeline; in implementing educational forums and workshops on voter, ballot initiative, and immigrant rights; in advancing our efforts to support workers and unions in our region; and in ensuring our ongoing participation in numerous coalitions on social justice and quality of life issues.

We are urging your support of our upcoming Latino and Latina Roundtable retreat by asking you to attend this most important meeting this Saturday, February 10 and also to invite others who might be interested in becoming members of our organization. Remember, the retreat begins at 9 A. M. and will be held in our new office at the Village in Pomona (1460 E. Holt Ave., Entrance #3, Room 6. This is your opportunity to help decide the priorities for the organization in the next year — and look forward to your participation.

PRESENTATION AT LATINO AND LATINA ROUNDTABLE AND NAACP CELEBRATION OF COLLABORATION – AND OPENING OF SOLIDARITY CENTER

It is so exciting to have all of you here today in advancing our common efforts in bridge-building, coalition-building, and creating collective spaces – such as the one we are experiencing today – to advance spaces and places that are examples of the kind of just and equal world that we want to live in.

Every one of you here deserves a big applause for creating that type of social change advancement in Pomona – Please give yourself a big applause. It was not that long ag- December 5th, 2014 when the Latino and Latina Roundtable and the NAACP Pomona Valley Branch walked together, chanted together, and raised our voices in a Pomona Peace Walk of over 200 diverse participants – that made their way from city hall to the Village area on East Holt Avenue where we showed the film “Cesar’s Last Fast.” This was a real beginning of our crossing bridges – and indeed we crossed bridges that day in sharing our solidarity with a 120-mile, seven day march from Ferguson, Missouri to Jefferson City in support of Michael Brown. Some of the marchers of all nationalities crossed borders that day in carrying pictures of 43 Ayotzinapa students from Mexico (whose forced disappearance is still being protested today). Since that time, we have not stopped in collaborating – building bridges from forums and actions to get at the structural foundations of violence – to other marches such as a a Cesar Chavez Pilgrimage with the primary themes “Black Lives Matter” and “Remember Ayotzinapa;” – together in carrying out voting rights forums, ballot initiative forums, candidate’s forums, – and voter registration – voter turn-out campaigns – in the streets of Pomona and the region; to supporting our union brothers and sisters – farmworkers in Salinas, dining hall workers at Pomona College, UFCW workers and warehouse workers, nurses and service workers and health for all — to a “Journey for Justice” Rally at Pomona city hall in honor of an exemplary leader that we all remember and support — Julian Bond; to a march of 1500 students at the Claremont Colleges (where Jeannete and I were the keynote speakers) – as part of national demonstrations protesting a growing campus climate of exclusion and calling for our working together, as we are doing today, to root out the seeds of racial, class, gender, and sexual oppression. We have been there together, brothers and sisters, in supporting our immigrant and refugee communities – together in No Ban No Walls Rallies in LaVerne in Claremont, and at the Ontario airport – Together, brothers and sisters in — Passing a Pomona Unified School District school board a resolution “Regarding the Board’s Commitment to Ensure All District Campuses are Safe Zones and Safe Havens”; Together in coalition-building to Pass an ordinance with the Pomona City Council to implement the California Values Act, SB 54; Together – in continuing to partner as Part of a College for All statewide coalition to endorse and actively implement California State Senate Bill 1050 to create a kindergarten-to-college pipeline of educational opportunity and success for our underrepresented students – particularly those from low income, English language learner, and foster youth backgrounds. Together – in supporting local businesses, schools, colleges, and unions to advance a local economy that invests in the health and well-being of our communities.

And finally, together today – to be together in this sacred space right here – in collaborating to build a visionary and united leadership of all generations and of all backgrounds to advance positive outcomes for good jobs, health care, education, and quality of life. That is why we are here today – in Solidarity -together — to celebrate how far we have traveled down this justice road – and to make a commitment today to keep on a walking, keep on a talking – walking down this freedom road.

The Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley and the Pomona Valley Branch of the NAACP invite the community to an open house on Saturday, February 3, 2018, starting at 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM. The open house well be at the Solidarity Center in Indian Hill Village, Room 6, 1460 E. Holt Ave., Pomona, California. Entrance 2 is closest entrance to the Center. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Asked to describe the event, Donald Martens, a member of the joint planning committee said,“We’re going to have a party!” Angela Sanbrano, Vice-President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable will be emcee of ceremonies. The program features brief presentations by Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval; Jeanette Ellis-Royston, President of the Pomona Branch of the NAACP; Dr. Jose Calderon, President of Latino and Latina Roundtable; and other community leaders. Rosa Martha Zarate, an organizer and Musician who has given concerts in Central and South America as well as in Portugal and the United States, will sing social movement songs from her recent recordings. The youth choir from the Macedonia Baptist Church will perform. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

The event celebrates the many joint achievements of the sponsoring groups and the recent opening of the Solidarity Center. The Solidarity Center provides office space for both the Latino and Latina Roundtable and the Pomona Valley Branch of the NAACP as well as a common meeting area. Over the last few years the two groups have cosponsored many activities including the 2014 Michael Brown peace march and the ongoing effort to monitor the implementations of the College Readiness Block Grant. While looking to the future, presenters will highlight these and other activities.

For more information contact Jeanette Ellis-Royston: email jrellisroyston1@verizon.net or call 909 764-7833 or e-mail Katherine Cabrera, the director of the LRT, at kcabrera@latinolatinaroundtable.org

Additional information on the Pomona Valley Branch of the NAACP can be found on their website, http://www.naacp-pomona-valley.org/.

Additional information on the Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona

Valley can be found on their website, http://www.latinolatinaroundtable.org/